Flourishing programs in 80+ disciplines. A vibrant Christian mission. $50 million
in new campus construction. A 2014 Division III national championship. 95% placement
within 6 months of graduation. There’s never been a better time to consider Hope College.

As a member of the MIAA and NCAA Division III associations, Hope College sponsors
22 varsity sports for men and women. The college is home to the 2014 NCAA Division
III National Championship women’s volleyball team.

Student Wins Japanese Contest

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Tom Groendal, a Hope College senior from Whitehall, has won first place in the Japanese Consulate
General Michigan 2000 Speech Contest held in Detroit on Saturday, March 4.

Groendal competed in a category for college students who have been studying the language for more than one year. Of the 10 finalists for the award, he was the only one from a liberal arts college; the others were from universities. It was the second time in four years that a Hope student has earned first place. Brandon Hayashi, a 1997 graduate from Kaneohe, Hawaii, won in 1997. Michigan is one of only five states in the United States in which the contest is held, so the competition is regional in nature. Selected other countries are also sites for the contest, including Japan. The students chose their own topics, speaking and answering follow-up questions from the judges in Japanese. Groendal presented "The Heart of Internationalization." He plans to become a coordinator for international relations for Japanese prefectural offices next year. First-, second- and third-place winners were named. The contest also featured two other categories: one for high school students with less than three years of Japanese, and the other for high school students with three or more years of the language, or college students and other adults with less than one year. Groendal is a Japanese and Spanish major. He studied at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan, during the 1998-99 school year through the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES). He is the son of Michael and Martha Groendal of Whitehall. He is a 1996 graduate of Whitehall High School.

Flying Dutch Sixth at Nationals

Hope College maintained its tradition of excellence in women's swimming and diving with a top ten finish, a national champion and All-America performances in 10 events at the NCAA Division III championships in Atlanta, Ga.